Potato-laying machine



mmh` 1, 1927. 1,619,488

c. RUETZ PoTATo mum MACHINE Fued Deo.- 15, 1924 2 shuts-sheet 1 C. RUETZ POTATO LAYING MACHINE March `1, 1927.

Filed Deo. 1.5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheel'l 2 Patented Mar. l, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

POTATO-LAYING MACHINE.

Applgation filed December 15, 1924, Serial N o.

The present invention relate-s to potatoplanting machines in which the potatoes to be conveyed advance automatically along a track.

For the purpose ot obtaining a single tile of potato-es in such a mannerv `that each single potato Vhas the necessary space for its" orward mov-einent whichis dependent on its shape and size, it is necessary to eliminate surplus potatoes during the formation of the lile and my invention consists ini' af mechanical conveying device arranged si'dewise of the track to receive and remove pota-` toes which l'eavethe track or .the file being formed.

Tests haveshown that the forming ot a single row of potatoes in' the manner mentionedV is ol great importance, since'it prevents disturbances in the working. process. MyL invention also consists in other fea'- tures of construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawings illustrate `an example of an embodiment of the invention and the way in which it may be carried out. In these drawings Y Figure l shows an `elevatiompartly in section, of the'potato-laying machine.

Figure 2 is a cross section through line 2-2 of Figure l; n

Figure 3 is al longitudinal section through line 3 3, indicated in Figure l, and

Figure l represents a detail on a larger scale.

l is aliopper or receptacle tor tliepotatoes, this receptacle being provided with a laterally and obliquely disposed wall-plate 3 forming part` of the base ol the receptacle. Other Tiai-ts serving to torni tbe base consist o'f two boards or planks l? wiiich incline from the two side-walls ot the open recep tacle towards the longitudinal center plane ot the latterand the 1nachine these boards being attached to two longitudinally arranged beams 43. These beams are placed at some distance from each other anddeclining rearwardly, arev disposed at a suitable angle to the ground. Y Between the two longitudinally arranged beams 43 there is fulcrumed, as at 39, a swinging lever 28 with which, by means lof linking rods 32 and 33, a stirring bar 2 extending through the 756,147', and in Switzerland December 22, 1923.

8 linked to the forward end of the said lever, the i'od8' by the aid ot a laterally arranged roller beingadapted to engage with a cam groove 7 provided'in a disk 7 mounted on the wheel axleA 37 so as to be slidable thereon and rotatable therewith. Connect-ed with the disk 7 is a secoiiddisk 7 also formed with a cam' groove which', upon va corresponding axial movement of the pair ot disks 7', 7, may be ina-de to cooperate with a secondroller mounted on the starting rod 8, when the latter is disengaged from the disk. The cam groovesof the said two disks, adapted'in'turn to be brought into engagement with vthe `starting rod S, are ot di erent cam formations so that on'making use of one or the other ot the two disks a different number of lifts of the rod 8, during a complete rotation ot the. axle 37 to which the carriage wheels lO'are fixed is obtained. rFhe disks 7 7 in a housing 6 attached toV or and bearingon the shattBT, yand having a pivoted lid and also containing one of lthe chainwheels of a chain drive 26. The puipose of employing tlieptwo disks 7, 7, ftor thecam grooves of different shapes, either one of' which disks isiadapted to be coupled to the rodS, istoprovide a means whereby, as stated, a different number ot lifts, or reciprocations, may be imparted to said rod 'for varying the number otv working movements imparted to tlielever Q8. The twov disks 7, 7 may be jointly shifted in one direction or the other-by a suitable shipper The swinging lever' are mounted p p l 'forming part? ot vthe receptacle-base, the housing' beingv centrally mounted between the: wheels l0l lever (not shown) mounted on housing 6, y

a movement ot suoli lever in one direction throwing disk 7A into operation anddisk 7" out .oi operation, while ay movement lof' the lever in the opposite direction will throw disk 7 out oit operation and disk 7 into operation. The chain drive 26 is the means :tor the movement `ot two endless conveying chains 3l which possess a number ot carriers 38 in'tlietorm ot angleplates and are guidedover two "guiding wheels'Q. Each chain 3l isarranged at the outer side oit the adjacent beams 43 and is located-ina 'casingf la which may be partly uncovered. Above the beams 43 is a rearwardly projecting wall 1 slanting downwards and outwards from the receptacle to the lower lying end of the beams and thus in the direction of the corresponding chain 31, Figure 3. In the Vtrack or chute between the said beams a slidable tongue piece or reciprocating feeder 30, is arranged, said feeder being` formed at that end which passes under a cover `plate in the receptacle, into a screen or grating which extends over a distance somewhat greater than the distance between the front face and the obliquewall plate 3 of the receptacle 1, while this tongue piece or feeder fronti its other end is formed as a channel of curved cross-section. The slidable tongue 30 is under the control of a draw spring 29 and, by means of guiding rollers 25 and 27 and a wire rope 36, is connected with the swinging lever 23. Above the sliding tongue are arranged, on a bar iixed to the wall 1 and carrying pivotally mounted leverarms, live` striking rollers 34, which are journaled in the ends of the said lever arms. lhe rearmost of these rollers is pulled bv a draw spring, which acts'on its lever armin order 4to pull the Vsame in the direction of the slit ing-tongue 30, whereasthe other striking rollers 34 with their carrying lever arms 4hang freely downwards.

A'deiiector and drag scoop or hoop 19 fixed to the rear end of the swinging lever 23 by means of a bolt extending laterally through the said lever. A stop plate 24 is pivotally mounted on the said bolt and the free end of the plate 24 is thickened for the purpose yof forming a tilting axle for the throwing oftof the potatoes. The plate 24 is ordinarily forced by an elastic spring against the rear faces of the two beams 43. A rammer or stamper 28 cooperates with the tilting axle and is in the form of a lever having its end portions bent at rightangles one of its end portions forming-the striker proper and its other end portion having a projection engaging the underside of the swinging lever 23.

The potato-laying machine is furthermore provided with a plough 14 of hollow form which is suspended from the beams 43 so as to be turnable on a horizontal axis. Connected with a backwardly extending part `40 it a forwardly extending arm 11, an adjusting screw S serving as an abutment for this arm and allowing of an angular adjustment of the plough 14. This adjustment regulates the depth of the furrow cut.

' One of the two handles 21 Ais fitted with alever with handle for moving a controlling rod 2()` which, by means of a kneeshaped lever bearing on the axle 12 extendingthrough the head of the plough 14, is linked to the two forks 13. Each of these forks grip with their tines over `the corresponding beams 43 and penetrates openings in the oblique base part of the receptacle 1, so that they are situated in the conveying track of the potatoes. By a corresponding movement of the controlling bar 20 the pair of forks may be moved upwards or downwards, in order to be more or less high above the base of the receptacle, the passing of the potatoes thus being in. a suitable measure blocked or rendered free for the regulation of the discharge ofythepotatoes to be conveyed.

Upon a forward movement of the machine onl the carriage wheels 10the swinging lever.

23,by Vmeans of the starting rod 8, is at suitableintervals swung up and down. 4 The lever 23 then effects a to and fro movement of the stirring rod 2 provided with,` bends, which rod serves to loosen up the store of potatoesin the receptacle. Bythe swinging'of the lever 23, the sliding tongue or rcciprocatory feeder 301 isfurthermore caused to be moved longitudinally `to and fro, since it is alternately moved by the said lever` by means of the wire :ropesv36 con.- trolled by the draw springy 29, the said tongue then by a movement in the opposite direction of the swinging lever being moved backwards by the spring 29. VOwing to the to and fro movement of the sliding tongue 3() the potatoes are automaticallyv conveyed `to the proper laying device and during the conveyance they fall into the form of a row or file to be delivered one after the other to the laying device.

The elinnnation of the too abundant potatoes from the row, so that eventually only a single row or file of potatoes reaches` the laying device and the separate single potatoes have sufficient room for the forward movement dependent on their form and size,

takes place within thejpart` of the potatoconveying track or chute'lying outside the wall plate 3 but inside the wall 1 of the potato'containing receptacle and therefore before they reach the laying device proper. The short, but positive lto and fro movement of the sliding tongue 3f) not only results in the forward movement of the taken up potatoes, but the reversing movement is particularly adapted to push out from the row small and badly formed potatoes, so that they roll over the slanting `upper side of Leidas/8 the corresponding beam 43 on to the conveying chain whence they are discharged intofa boX where they are kept separate from the supply of potatoes in the receptacle 1. The striking rollers 34 touching the advancing potato-row or lile smooth down the unsteady movements'of the potatoes` andattain thus their object, namely, to obtain a quiet advancing thereof. The foremost potato, when the rammer 28 in consequencev of its own weightfhasbeen lowered below the plane of movement of the potatoes, will, owing to the corresponding position of the swinging lever 23, be made to abut against the stop plate 24 projecting above the head of the pair of beams 43. On the then following downward movement of the stop plate, caused by the corresponding movement of the swinging lever 23, the rammel' 2S, under the control of the said lever, eXecutes with its arm turned towards the plate 24 an upward movement, whereby the arm gives to the potato lying in the track a knock, thus causing the potato to be knocked over the upper edge of the plate 24 serving as a tilting axle, and furthermore causing the potato to be thrown over to find its way into the furrow made by the plough during the forward movement of the ,machine rlhe spring-y bearing of the stop plate facilitates the safe throwing oli of the arriving potatoes. In the aforementioned downward movement of the plate 24 the swinging lever causes the angle-shaped lever 16 to be swung about its aXle or pivot at in such a manner, that the striking bar 17 is carried a certain stretch along the ground, in order then to rest during the subsequent upward movement of t-he stop plate 24 in vits position, for the purpose of preventing the rolling after of the potatoes falling between the hoop 19 and the striking bar 17 upon the ground. The hoop 19 draws the potato a short distance along the furrow until the hoop 19 is raised by the next upward movement of the rear end of the lever 23 which lauses the. hoop to pass over the potato.

-The potatoes are thus positioned at places approximately the same distance. apart. rlhe two disks 22 serve to carry the earth over the furrows and potatoes.

It will be understood that the afore-described elimination of too abundant potatoes from their conveying track is considerably facilitated by the outwardly slanting upper side of the pair of beams 43, Figure 4, as far as the same extends beyond the potato-containing receptacle 1. The potatoes eliminated from the tongue piece in the formation of a single file are received by the conveying chains 31 direct from the said piece as they fall therefrom and are conveyed into the separate boX 5 which is detachably mounted on the receptacle. If desired they, or some of them, can be again thus described myinvention, I

a track, means for forming rows of potatoes and advancing the same automatically along Cil the track, and a conveying device arranged to directly receive and remove potatoes which leave the track or the row of toes being formed in the track.

2. potato planting machine embodying a track, means for forming rows of potatoes and advancing the same automatically along the track, and conveying devices at opposite sides of the track to receive the potatoes which leave. the track. A

3. In a potato planting machine, a hopper,

potaa trackway, means for forming rows of potatoes and advancing the saine along the trackway, means for leveling off potatoes traveling along the trackway, means for arresting the movement of potatoes traveling along the trackway, said last-named means being movable into and out of the path of the potatoes, and means for conveying to a suitable point of deposit potatoes laterally displaced from the trackway.

4. In a potato planting machine, a honper, a trac way, feeding means for feeding the potatoes along the trackway, a reciproeating stirrer in the hopper, leveling means operating' on the potatoes feeding along the trackway, a .stop device for periodically arresting the movement of the potatoes, and means for periodically actuating the stirrer and projecting and retracting said stop device.

5. In a potato planting machine, a hopper, a trackway, a reciprocating feeder forming a portion of said trackway, a stirrer in the hopper, means for leveling olf the potatoes passing along the trackway, a stop vbar at the discharge end of the trackway movable into and out of the path ofthe potatoes, a striker for engaging and discharging the potatoes, and means for periodically operating the feed device, stirrer, stop bar and striker.

6. In a potato planter', a traveling vehicle having a hopper, an inclined chute for discharging potatoes from the hopper, feeding means for feeding the potatoes along the chute, means for leveling off the potatoes in the chute and discharging surplus potatoes laterally from the chute, a receptacle, and a conveyor at the .side of the chute for receiving the surplus potatoes and conveying the same to said receptacle.

7. In .a potato planter, a traveling vehicle having a hopper, an inclined chute for discharging potatoes from the hopper, feeding llt) means forfeeding the potatoes along the chute, means for leveling olf the potatoes in the chute and discharging surplus potatoes means for leveling off the potatoes on the trackway and discharging surplus potatoes laterally from the trackway7 a stop dev-ice .at the lower end of the trackway for ar-1 resting the motion of the potatoes, and a knocker for releasing the potatoes held by the stop device.

9. In a potato laying machine according to claim l and having a feed receptacle, the

provision in the rear part of the said recep- A tacle of afork, adapted to be projected into the track of the potatoes by means of a hand-operable lever and thereby stop theV further passageof potatoes down the VVforward part of the track.

10. A potato planting machine according toclaim l, wherein a har isixed above the rear part of the track and has depending A armsoscillatablymounted on it, the said arms each carrying a striking roller situated vertically above the `track and adapted to act on the potatoes to assist in controlling the movement of the potatoes along the r Vtrack and their discharge from the track.

CARL RUnTZ. 

